Principles of Finance vs Financial Management: which finance course first?

Principles of Finance (Finance 201) teaches the tools: financial statements and ratios, forecasting, the time value of money, bond and stock valuation, statistics, and risk and return. Financial Management (Finance 204) uses those tools for company decisions: investments, the cost of capital, capital structure, dividends, budgeting and business valuation.

Neither syllabus lists a prerequisite. If you are new to finance, start with Principles of Finance: Financial Management turns to stock and bond valuation and the time value of money in its first chapters. If you already know those, you can start with Financial Management.

Principles of Finance: ACE recommends 3 semester hours at the lower-division level (ACE ID UPIS-0016), and NCCRS recommends 3 as well. Financial Management is NCCRS only: 3 semester hours, in the associate, lower-division or upper-division category.

Principles of Finance: NCCRS recommends 3 semester hours, lower division, in Finance among other subjects; ACE recommends 3 (ACE ID UPIS-0016). Financial Management: NCCRS recommends 3 semester hours, lower or upper division, in Accounting among other subjects.

Principles of Finance: Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, Management, or Economics. Financial Management: Accounting, Business, Management, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Economics, Business Ethics, Personal Finance, or Business Administration. Your college decides which requirement each one fills.

Principles of Finance: 15 chapters and 65 instructional hours. Financial Management: 13 chapters and 60.5 instructional hours. Both are self-paced, so you finish as fast or as slow as you want.

Principles of Finance: 100 multiple-choice questions, 50% of the grade. Financial Management: 100 multiple-choice questions, 25% of the grade.

Principles of Finance: Dahlquist, Julie, et al. Principles of Finance. OpenStax, 2022, with other references. Financial Management: Brooks, R. (2020). Financial Management: Core Concepts (4th ed.). Pearson, with other references.

Yes. Principles of Finance is a separate course: enroll in it alone, study it online at your own pace, and send its transcript to your college.

Yes, online: under light proctoring (no camera) if you already have 70% before it, otherwise under full proctoring. The quizzes and the assignment are open-book; the Principles of Finance final is not.

ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Search your school in Find My College and ask your registrar which courses Finance 201 and Finance 204 would count as. For the registrar: Principles of Finance's NCCRS recommendation lists Finance and Financial Management's NCCRS recommendation lists Accounting.